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**pm530** · 07-18-2009, 03:59 AM

Daily Sports Roundup

Saturday, July 18

Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Tigers try to maul the Yankees, the Rays meet the Royals, and the Diamondbacks square off against the Cardinals.

Colliding in the Junior Circuit . . .

It'll be Justin Verlander (10-4, 3.38 ERA) vs. CC Sabathia (8-6, 3.86 ERA) on Saturday afternoon as the Tigers continue their road series at Yankee Stadium. Righthander Verlander is coming off a strong start against the Indians last weekend, tossing seven shutout innings while giving up just five hits in a victory. Lefthander Sabathia will be looking to get back on track on Saturday, as he gave up five earned runs over 6 2-3 innings in a loss against the Angels last time out.

Also on the American League schedule for Saturday: Boston at Toronto, Baltimore at the White Sox, the Angels at Oakland, Seattle at Cleveland, Minnesota at Texas, and Tampa Bay at Kansas City. The Rays will send the struggling Scott Kazmir (4-5, 7.11 ERA) to the mound in that contest; the lefthander was knocked around for seven earned runs by the Jays last time out. The Royals will counter with ace Zack Greinke (10-5, 2.12 ERA) Saturday night.

Clashing in the Senior Circuit . . .

Dan Haren (9-5, 2.01 ERA) will take on Adam Wainwright (10-5, 3.04 ERA) on Saturday as the Diamondbacks and Cardinals play again in St. Louis. Righthander Haren is coming off a complete-game shutout against the Marlins in which he surrendered just four hits while fanning 10 batters; Arizona is 8-2 in his last 10 starts. Righthander Wainwright has been just as effective lately, giving up three earned runs over his last 25 1-3 innings and winning five of his last seven.

Elsewhere around the National League on Saturday it'll be the Cubs at Washington, San Francisco at Pittsburgh, Philadelphia at Florida, Milwaukee at Cincinnati, Colorado at San Diego, Houston at the Dodgers, and the Mets at Atlanta. New York lefthander Johan Santana (10-7, 3.09 ERA) will get the ball in that matinee matchup; Santana blanked the Reds over seven innings in a victory last time out. The Braves will counter with Kenshin Kawakami (5-6, 4.26 ERA).

Rounding out the Roundup . . .

The Canadian Football League finishes off the third week of their regular season on Saturday with a pair of matchups - Montreal at Saskatchewan, and Winnipeg at Hamilton. The Alouettes and the Roughriders are the last two undefeated teams in the league (at 2-0 both straight-up and against-the-spread), with the Als listed as 4.5-point road favorites for Saturday. Winnipeg (1-1 SU, 2-0 ATS) is favored by 1.5 points against Hamilton (1-1 SU, 1-1 ATS) in their Saturday game.

Finally, there are two WNBA games on tap for Saturday, with New York at Washington and Detroit at Phoenix. The Mercury remain the best bet in the league so far this season - especially at home. Phoenix sits at 11-4 SU through 15 games, and they're also 11-4 ATS and 8-1 ATS at home. The Mercury rolled past the Monarchs last time out, getting 22 points from Diana Taurasi in a 100-81 home win. Detroit (4-7 SU, 4-7 ATS) is coming off a 66-63 victory versus Seattle.

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**pm530** · 07-18-2009, 04:01 AM

Six-pack for Saturday

-- Garrett Jones homered twice, once in 1st inning, once in 14th, and that was enough for the Pirates to upset San Francisco, 2-1.

-- Jim Thome hit two homers, knocked in seven runs as White Sox got a 12-8 win over Orioles; Albert Pujols homered twice as the Cardinals pounded on hapless Arizona, 6-1.

-- Oakland stole four bases Friday; since 2000, the A's stole 172 less bases than any other team in baseball-- the Giants (710) have stolen the second-least amount.

-- Braves retired Greg Maddux' number 31 last night; in his 11 years with Atlanta, he won 192 games, and made the playoffs every year, except for 1994, when there were no playoffs because of the strike.

-- Nice to see Jason Giambi spend $50,000 of the money he's stealing from the A's this season buying his old locker from the Bronx. Great.

-- When I was a kid, Walter Cronkite was considered by many to be the most trusted man in America- there was no cable, there were only three TV stations to get your news from. More people got their news from Cronkite than from anyone else. He died Friday at age 92.

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Saturday's List of 13: Nobody asked me, but..........

13) So the co-leaders at the British Open are the first alternate and a guy with an artificial hip, who happens to be 59 years old? Go figure.

ABC has to be sick Eldrick Woods missed the cut at Turnberry; the Tom Watson story is nice and all, but TV ratings are driven by Woods- what casual fan is getting up at 7am to watch Tiger-less golf?

12) Watson won a British Open before Woods was alive, back in 1975, when I had just finished 10th grade; think about Greg Norman last year- if links golf is this much of an equalizer, why don't we have courses like that is this country? Wouldn't it be a good thing?

11) Mr Woods is now 4-24 in major tournaments when he is playing the course for the first time in a tournament.

10) One of the great things about the British Open is that the bunkers on the course mean something-- you get in one of those, and its a problem. In this country, hitting the ball out of bunkers is easier than high grass in the rough.

9) This weekend has the only four days all year I don't mind getting up at 7am, because its British Open week. That, and I'll just be laying on the couch all morning anyway.

8) Bronx Bombers, Rockies, Giants only used six starting pitchers in the first half of the season-- lot like the Rays last year, keeping the starting pitchers healthy is a key to making the playoffs.

7) Red Sox activated Mike Lowell, sent Julio Lugo down; if they can't trade Lugo in next 10 days, they'll eat $13M of guaranteed money they owe him. Thats the advantage big market teams have- they can afford to eat money on a mistake- the little guys can't.

6) They break ground in old Miami for the Marlins' new domed stadium Saturday morning, so thats exciting for them. The new stadium is going to be built where the old Orange Bowl stood, a historic sports site.

5) Spurs' Richard Jefferson cancelled his wedding at last minute, but not all the guests were told and some of them showed up-- the wedding was supposed to cost a cool $2M. $2M for a wedding? Damn.......

4) When Kevin O'Neill coached Arizona, he had players running at the football stadium, up, down bleachers; seeing as LA Coliseum is bigger than Arizona's stadium, USC's hoopers will be in great shape this fall.

3) Jamal Crawford has played nine seasons in the NBA for three teams; the best team he played on were 33-49 Knick teams in 2005, 2007. Now that he's an Atlanta Hawk, either that streak ends, or the Hawks are in for one long winter, since they were pretty good last season.

2) Would you want Chad Johnson on your favorite NFL team? If you owned a team, would you want to be paying him? I know I wouldn't.

1) I'm thinking the clip of the Xavier kid dunking on Lebron James in Akron is going to surface just before Christmas, in a Nike commercial. Young Crawford originally went to Indiana to play for Kelvin Sampson, but transferred to Xavier, so he'll play for another new coach this year, with Sean Miller out in the Arizona desert.

From: Armadillo
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**pm530** · 07-18-2009, 04:02 AM

CFL
Dunkel Index

SATURDAY, JULY 18

Game 405-406: Montreal at Saskatchewan
Dunkel Ratings: Montreal 121.326; Saskatchewan 112.910
Dunkel Line: Montreal by 8 1/2; 64
Vegas Line: Montreal by 4 1/2; 57 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Montreal (-4 1/2); Over

Game 407-408: Winnipeg at Hamilton
Dunkel Ratings: Winnipeg 110.398; Hamilton 103.238
Dunkel Line: Winnipeg by 7; 56 1/2
Vegas Line: Winnipeg by 1; 54
Dunkel Pick: Winnipeg (-1); Over

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**pm530** · 07-18-2009, 04:03 AM

CFL
Long Sheet

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Saturday, July 18

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MONTREAL (2 - 0) at SASKATCHEWAN (2 - 0) - 7/18/2009, 3:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SASKATCHEWAN is 53-33 ATS (+16.7 Units) as an underdog of 3.5 to 9.5 points since 1996.
SASKATCHEWAN is 128-97 ATS (+21.3 Units) in all games since 1996.
SASKATCHEWAN is 128-97 ATS (+21.3 Units) in all lined games since 1996.
SASKATCHEWAN is 86-52 ATS (+28.8 Units) as an underdog since 1996.
SASKATCHEWAN is 117-87 ATS (+21.3 Units) in games played on turf since 1996.
SASKATCHEWAN is 6-0 ATS (+6.0 Units) in July games over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
SASKATCHEWAN is 3-1 against the spread versus MONTREAL over the last 3 seasons
SASKATCHEWAN is 3-1 straight up against MONTREAL over the last 3 seasons
2 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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WINNIPEG (1 - 1) at HAMILTON (1 - 1) - 7/18/2009, 6:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
WINNIPEG is 5-2 against the spread versus HAMILTON over the last 3 seasons
WINNIPEG is 6-1 straight up against HAMILTON over the last 3 seasons
4 of 7 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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**pm530** · 07-18-2009, 04:03 AM

CFL
Write-up

Week 3 CFL games

Saturday, July 18

Montreal (2-0) @ Saskatchewan (2-0)-- High-powered Alouettes scored 40-50 points in their first two games, completing 24-32 passes in both games (255-339 yards), while running ball for 294 yards. Riders are also 2-0, with 11 takeaways which offset their eight turnovers--they've been called for 21 penalties in two games-- they let up in 2nd half last week.

Winnipeg (1-1) @ Hamilton (1-1)-- Bombers have 305 rushing yards so far in two games, but they've completed less than half their passes both games, with former Louisville QB Lefors under center. TiCats got waxed at home by Toronto in opener, then went out west and shocked Lions as 13-point underdog. Favorites are 2-6 vs spread in CFL this season.

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**pm530** · 07-18-2009, 04:04 AM

CFL

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Trend Report
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Saturday, July 18

3:00 PM
MONTREAL vs. SASKATCHEWAN
Montreal is 1-3-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Saskatchewan
Montreal is 19-6 SU in its last 25 games when playing Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is 3-5-1 ATS in its last 9 games when playing Montreal
Saskatchewan is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Montreal

6:00 PM
WINNIPEG vs. HAMILTON
Winnipeg is 3-6-1 ATS in its last 10 games on the road
Winnipeg is 4-11 SU in its last 15 games on the road
Hamilton is 1-3-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Winnipeg
Hamilton is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Winnipeg

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**pm530** · 07-18-2009, 04:05 AM

CFL

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Canadian bacon: CFL Week 3 preview and picks
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Saturday, July 18

Montreal Alouettes (2-0) at Saskatchewan Roughriders (2-0) +4.5, 57.5

The only two unbeaten teams left in the CFL face each other Saturday afternoon in Regina. The Roughriders won their first two against the Lions and the Argonauts, but neither opponent has legitimate Grey Cup hopes for 2009.

The Als, on the other hand, rolled over the two West foes who are considered real contenders. Montreal showed it still has one of the deadliest offenses in the CFL and a much more efficient defence than last season. Running back Wes Cates, who missed the Riders’ first two games recovering from offseason shoulder injury, will probably be in the lineup. Hugh Charles filled in admirably in his absence, but Saskatchewan is a better team when Cates is on the backfield.

The Roughriders are always tough to beat in Regina, but I think Montreal is good enough to win and cover the number.

Pick: Montreal

Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1-1) at Hamilton Tiger-Cats (1-1) +1, 54

A Winnipeg scout was ejected on Tuesday after being caught taking notes during Hamilton’s practice. The news has created a Spygate-like controversy north of the border. But honestly, who wants to spy on the Ticats?

This will be a running back showdown between Winnipeg’s Fred Reid and CFL Offensive player of the week DeAndra’ Cobb. The Tiger-Cats will have more difficulty stopping Reid than Winnipeg will against Cobb. MLB Barrin Simpson and LB Siddeeq Shabazz have been impressive and Winnipeg’s defense already has eight takeaways after two games.

Pick: Winnipeg

Last week: 1-3

Season: 3-5
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**pm530** · 07-18-2009, 07:16 AM

MLB
Baseball Today

SCOREBOARD

Saturday, July 18

Tampa Bay at Kansas City (7:10 p.m. EDT). Zack Greinke (10-4) looks to get off to a good start in the second half - he lost his last two starts before the All-Star break - as the Royals host the surging Rays and Scott Kazmir (4-5).

STARS

Friday

-Jim Thome, White Sox, hit a grand slam and a three-run homer for a career-high seven RBIs, carrying Chicago to a 12-8 victory over the Orioles.

-Albert Pujols, Cardinals, went deep twice to power St. Louis to a 6-1 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

-Roy Oswalt, Astros, tossed a four-hitter for his 16th career complete game, helping Houston to an 8-1 win at the Los Angeles Dodgers.

-Mark Teixeira, Yankees, hit a go-ahead, three-run homer off Joel Zumaya, and New York opened the second half with a 5-3 victory over the Tigers.

-Evan Longoria and Pat Burrell, Rays, hit two-run homers in consecutive innings to help Tampa Bay rally for an 8-7 win over the Royals.

-Chase Utley, Phillies, hit a two-run homer in the first inning and a tiebreaking RBI single in the 12th to help Philadelphia beat the Florida Marlins 6-5 in Miami.

-Brian McCann, Braves, had three hits and four RBIs to lead Atlanta to an 11-0 win against the New York Mets.

-Chris Carpenter, Cardinals, threw eight scoreless innings in St. Louis' 6-1 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

-Aramis Ramirez, Cubs, hit a solo homer in Chicago's 3-1 win at the Washington Nationals.

-Ubaldo Jimenez, Rockies, struck out 10 in seven innings to lead Colorado to a 5-3 victory at San Diego.

-Garrett Jones, Pirates, homered twice to lift Pittsburgh to a 2-1 victory over the San Francisco Giants in 14 innings.

-Jason Kubel, Twins, hit a tiebreaking three-run homer and Minnesota beat the Rangers 5-3.

EL HOMBRE INDEED

Albert Pujols hit two solo homers in the St. Louis Cardinals' 6-1 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night. It was his eighth multihomer game of the season and No. 31 for his career. He leads the majors with 34 homers and 89 RBIs. His sixth-inning drive off Jon Garland was his first homer of the season off a 3-0 count.

TURNING IT AROUND

The Red Sox's Clay Buchholz pitched 5 2-3 innings to earn his first major league win in more than a year as Boston beat Toronto 4-1. Called up from Triple-A Pawtucket, Buchholz made his first major league start since Aug. 20. The win was his first since May 2, 2008. Buchholz threw a no-hitter against Baltimore in his second career start in 2007. He struggled last season and was sent to the minors on Aug. 21 after going 0-7 with a 9.21 ERA in his previous 10 games.

TURNING IT AROUND II

Bronson Arroyo allowed five hits in seven innings as the Cincinnati Reds beat the Milwaukee Brewers 4-0 on Friday night. Arroyo was coming off his best showing of the season, a four-hitter for a 3-0 win over the Mets on Saturday. Before his shutout in New York, Arroyo had lost three straight starts, giving up 21 runs in 14 innings.

STREAKING

Since his last loss on May 19, Felix Hernandez is 6-0 with a 1.30 ERA in 10 starts. He got his 10th win this season in Seattle's 6-2 victory over the Indians. ... Joe Nathan worked the ninth inning of the Twins' 5-3 victory over Texas for his 24th save. The right-hander has thrown 20 2-3 scoreless innings over 22 appearances since May 21. ... The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Florida Marlins 6-5 in 12 innings for their seventh straight victory.

STRUGGLING

The Padres are a major league-worst 11-29 since June 1. ... The Mets lost 11-0 to the Atlanta Braves, getting shut out for the sixth time in 22 games since All-Star outfielder Carlos Beltran went on the disabled list. The Mets have scored a major league-low 68 runs in that 8-14 span. ... The Nationals fell to 0-2 under interim manager Jim Riggleman and have lost eight of nine overall to lower their major league-worst record to 26-63.

EL DUQUE CUT LOOSE

Texas released Orlando Hernandez from his minor league contract, making the right-hander a free agent just more than a month after he signed. Hernandez was 2-0 with a 2.45 ERA in eight relief appearances for Triple-A Oklahoma City since being activated three weeks ago. The Rangers had no plans to add Hernandez to their major league roster by Monday, when the pitcher would have been able to opt out of the contract. Hernandez last pitched in the majors for the New York Mets in 2007 before toe surgery.

COSTLY CUT

The Boston Red Sox have designated shortstop Julio Lugo for assignment. Lugo signed a four-year, $36 million free agent contract with the Red Sox before the 2007 season. If the team cannot trade him, it will have to absorb about $13 million over the next year and a half. Lugo is batting .284 with one homer and eight RBIs in 37 games this season.

HURT AGAIN

Tigers reliever Joel Zumaya was to return to Detroit for tests after re-injuring his pitching shoulder. The 24-year-old right-hander was hurt in a 5-3 loss to the Yankees, just after giving up a three-run homer to Mark Teixeira in the seventh. He said he felt a "slight little pop'' in his pitching shoulder on his fourth-to-last pitch. Zumaya, who had a 100 mph fastball in 2006, has been limited by injuries. He played in only 28 games in 2007, had his '08 season end in August and started this season on the DL.

SPEAKING

"You don't feel it off the bat. When you hit a ball like that, everything kind of stops. It's very special. You get the crowd into it. You come in the dugout, they're all excited and it's a big hit for the team. It's pretty awesome when it happens, almost like time stops.'' - White Sox slugger Jim Thome on his 448-foot grand slam in Chicago's 12-8 win over Baltimore. He also hit a three-run homer for a career-high seven RBIs.

SEASONS

July 18

1882 - Ambidextrous pitcher Tony Mullane of Louisville pitched with both hands in a major league game at Baltimore. Normally a right-hander, Mullane switched to the left hand in the fourth inning. He eventually lost 9-8.

1912 - The Chicago Cubs had 21 hits in 11 innings but still lost to the Philadelphia Phillies when Gavvy Cravath stole home.

1927 - Ty Cobb of the Philadelphia Athletics doubled off the glove of Harry Heilmann for his 4,000th hit.

1948 - Pat Seerey of the Chicago White Sox hit four home runs in a 12-11, 11-inning victory over the Philadelphia A's in the opener of a doubleheader.

1962 - Bob Allison and Harmon Killebrew of the Minnesota Twins each hit grand slams in the first inning of a 14-3 rout of the Cleveland Indians.

1970 - Willie Mays bounced career hit number 3,000 through the left side of the infield off Mike Wegener in the second inning of the San Francisco Giants' 10-1 romp over the Montreal Expos.

1987 - New York's Don Mattingly tied Dale Long's 31-year-old major league record when he hit a home run for the eighth consecutive game in the Yankees' 7-2 loss to the Texas Rangers.

1998 - Donnie Sadler's first major league home run was the first of Boston's record four two-out homers in a 9-4 victory over the Detroit Tigers. In the seven-run fourth inning, Darren Lewis, Nomar Garciaparra and Mo Vaughn followed to break the AL record of three held by six teams.

1999 - With Don Larsen on hand to help celebrate Yogi Berra Day at Yankee Stadium, David Cone pitched a perfect game. Cone dazzled the Montreal Expos, throwing the 14th perfect game in modern history to lead the New York Yankees to a 6-0 victory.

2001 - Roger Cedeno was 4-for-5 with a double, triple, two homers and six RBIs in Detroit's 12-4 win over the New York Yankees in the second game of a day-night doubleheader.

2006 - Atlanta became the first team since the 1930 New York Yankees to score 10 or more runs in five straight games following a 14-5 victory over St. Louis. The Braves scored 65 runs during an offensive explosion that included two 15-run games.

Today's birthdays: Ramiro Pena 24; Torii Hunter 34.

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**pm530** · 07-18-2009, 07:16 AM

MLB
This Day in Baseball

On July 18 in Baseball History...

1882 - Ambidextrous pitcher Tony Mullane of Louisville pitched with both hands in a Major League game at Baltimore. Normally a right-hander, Mullane switched to the left hand in the fourth inning. He eventually lost 9-8.

1912 - The Chicago Cubs had twenty-one hits in eleven innings but still lost to the Philadelphia Phillies when Gavvy Cravath stole home.

1948 - Pat Seerey of the Chicago White Sox hit four home runs in a 12-11, eleven-inning victory over the Philadelphia A's in the opener of a doubleheader.

1962 - Bob Allison and Harmon Killebrew of the Minnesota Twins each hit grand slams in the first inning of a 14-3 rout of the Cleveland Indians.

1970 - Willie Mays bounced career hit number 3,000 through the left side of the infield off Mike Wegener in the second inning of San Francisco's 10-1 romp over Montreal.

1987 - Don Mattingly tied Dale Long 31-year-old Major League record when he hit a home run for the eighth consecutive game in the Yankees' 7-2 loss to the Texas Rangers.

1998 - Donnie Sadler's first Major League home run was the first of Boston's record four two-out homers in a 9-4 victory over the Detroit Tigers.

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**pm530** · 07-18-2009, 07:25 AM

MLB
Write-up

Saturday, July 18

Hot Pitchers
-- Kawakami is 2-0, 3.72 in his last four starts. Santana is 1-1, 1.29 in his last couple starts, but Mets lost his last four road outings.
-- Wells is 4-1, 2.94 in his last five starts.
-- Blanton is 2-0, 0.61 in two starts this month. Johnson has a 2.70 RA in his last five starts.
-- Former Cardinal Haren is 6-1, 1.75 in his last nine starts. Wainwright is 2-0, 1.07 in his last three starts.
-- Hammel is 4-1, 2.0 in his last five road starts.
-- Hampton is 1-1, 2.50 in his last three road starts. Dodgers won last six Kershaw starts (4-0, 0.76).

-- Rzepzynski has a 3.00 RA in his first two big league starts.
-- Washburn is 3-1, 2.17 in his last four starts, but Mariners lost his last six road outings.
-- Baker is 2-0, 3.00 in his last three road starts. Rangers won Feldman's last four starts (3-0, 3.65), scoring 29 runs.

Cold Pitchers
-- Morton is 1-2, 4.50 in his last four starts. Zito is 2-3, 7.09 in his last six starts.
-- Nationals lost last three Zimmermann starts (0-1, 5.51).
-- Harang is 0-3, 6.51 in his last five starts. Parra is 0-2, 16.62 in his last three road starts.
-- Correia is 1-2, 7.02 in his last three starts.

-- Penny is 0-1, 3.97 in his last four starts.
-- Detroit lost last three Verlander road starts (0-2, 7.05). Sabathia is 1-2, 5.59 in his last three outings.
-- Weaver has a 7.28 RA in his last five starts. Oakland lost Mazzaro's last six starts (0-5, 5.29). A's scored total of six runs in those starts.
-- Buehrle has a 6.38 RA in his last four starts.
-- Guthrie is 2-4, 6.69 in his last seven starts.
-- Ohka is 0-3, 7.40 in four starts this season.
-- Greinke is 2-4, 5.16 in his last eight starts. Kazmir is 1-4, 9.84 in his last eight starts.

Hot Teams
-- Cubs won four of their last five games.
-- Braves won their last six home games.
-- Phillies won 11 of their last 12 games. Marlins won ten of their last thirteen home games, but lost last two.
-- Arizona won seven of its last ten games. Cardinals won nine of 13.
-- Rockies are 29-9 in their last 38 games, 15-4 in last 19 on road.
-- Astros won eight of their last ten games.

-- Red Sox won six of their last seven games.
-- Bronx Bombers won six of last eight home games.
-- Twins won six of their last eight road games. Rangers won five of their last six home games.
-- Orioles won four of their last six games. White Sox won seven of their last nine home games.
-- Angels won eight of their last twelve games. A's won three of their last four games.

Cold Teams
-- Nationals lost nine of their last ten games.
-- Pirates lost seven of their last nine games. Giants lost their last three road games, scoring total of four runs.
-- Reds lost seven of their last ten games. Brewers lost nine of last 13.
-- Mets lost nine of their last eleven road games.
-- Padres lost twelve of their last fourteen games.
-- Dodgers scored one run in losing their last two games.

-- Mariners are 15-23 in their last 38 road games. Indians lost six of last nine games.
-- Blue Jays lost five of their last six home games.
-- Tigers lost 11 of their last 15 road games.
-- Royals lost ten of their last thirteen home games. Rays lost 14 of last 21 road games.

Totals
-- Under is 13-4-1 in Cubs' last eighteen road games.
-- Eight of last nine games at PNC Park stayed under the total.
-- Nine of last thirteen Cincinnati home games stayed under the total.
-- Nine of last thirteen Philly games stayed under the total.
-- Eight of last eleven Atlanta games stayed under the total.
-- Nine of last ten Arizona road games stayed under the total.
-- Last six games at Petco Park went over the total.
-- Seven of last nine games at Dodger Stadium stayed under the total.

-- Under is 19-6-2 in Seattle's last 27 road games.
-- Six of last eight Boston games stayed under the total.
-- Eight of last nine Detroit road games stayed under the total.
-- Last seven Minnesota road games stayed under the total.
-- Under is 5-2-1 in Royals' last eight home games.
-- Six of last seven White Sox games went over the total.
-- 13 of Oakland's last 17 home games stayed under the total.

Umpires
-- NY-Atl-- Favorites won nine of last eleven Iassogna games.
-- SF-Pitt-- Under is 14-6-1 in Hoye's last 21 games behind plate.
-- Chi-Wsh-- Home team is 3-0 in Reyburn games (under 2-0-1).
-- Mil-Cin-- 10 of last 12 Runge games stayed under the total.
-- Phil-Fla-- Nine of last 12 Kellogg games stayed under the total.
-- Az-StL-- Both Tiller games this season stayed under the total.
-- Col-SD-- Seven of last nine Gibson games went over the total.
-- Hst-LA-- Favorites won eight of last ten Dimuro games.

-- Bos-Tor-- Favorites won five of last six Diaz games.
-- Det-NY-- Four of last five Davidson games stayed under the total.
-- Blt-Chi-- Eight of last twelve Reynolds games went over the total.
-- LA-A's-- Road team won seven of last eight Guccione games.
-- Sea-Clev-- Seven of last nine Demuth games stayed under the total.
-- TB-KC-- Underdog is 5-4 in Schrieber's last nine games behind dish.
-- Min-Tex-- Underdog won five of last six O'Nora games.

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**pm530** · 07-18-2009, 07:25 AM

MLB

Saturday, July 18

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Trend Report
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1:05 PM
DETROIT vs. NY YANKEES
Detroit is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Detroit's last 5 games
NY Yankees are 15-8 SU in their last 23 games when playing at home against Detroit
NY Yankees are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games when playing Detroit

1:07 PM
BOSTON vs. TORONTO
Boston is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Boston's last 8 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Toronto's last 5 games when playing at home against Boston
Toronto is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games when playing Boston

4:10 PM
BALTIMORE vs. CHI WHITE SOX
Baltimore is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Baltimore's last 5 games
Chi White Sox are 4-2 SU in their last 6 games when playing at home against Baltimore
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Chi White Sox's last 5 games when playing Baltimore

4:10 PM
LA ANGELS vs. OAKLAND
LA Angels are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 7 of LA Angels's last 10 games
Oakland is 1-4 SU in their last 5 games when playing at home against LA Angels
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Oakland's last 6 games when playing at home against LA Angels

4:10 PM
NY METS vs. ATLANTA
NY Mets are 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Atlanta
NY Mets are 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Atlanta is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Atlanta's last 11 games

7:05 PM
CHI CUBS vs. WASHINGTON
Chi Cubs are 4-2 SU in their last 6 games when playing on the road against Washington
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Chi Cubs's last 5 games when playing on the road against Washington
Washington is 1-4 SU in their last 5 games when playing Chi Cubs
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Washington's last 11 games when playing Chi Cubs

7:05 PM
SAN FRANCISCO vs. PITTSBURGH
San Francisco is 4-15 SU in its last 19 games when playing Pittsburgh
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of San Francisco's last 6 games on the road
Pittsburgh is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 5 games

7:05 PM
SEATTLE vs. CLEVELAND
Seattle is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Cleveland
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Seattle's last 6 games when playing on the road against Cleveland
Cleveland is 4-10 SU in its last 14 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Cleveland's last 6 games at home

7:10 PM
MILWAUKEE vs. CINCINNATI
Milwaukee is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Cincinnati
Milwaukee is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games on the road
Cincinnati is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games
Cincinnati is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Milwaukee

7:10 PM
PHILADELPHIA vs. FLORIDA
Philadelphia is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games when playing Florida
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Philadelphia's last 5 games when playing Florida
Florida is 10-3 SU in its last 13 games at home
Florida is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games

7:10 PM
TAMPA BAY vs. KANSAS CITY
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Tampa Bay's last 5 games when playing on the road against Kansas City
Tampa Bay is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Kansas City
Kansas City is 3-10 SU in its last 13 games at home
Kansas City is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games

7:15 PM
ARIZONA vs. ST. LOUIS
Arizona is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games
Arizona is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games on the road
St. Louis is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Arizona
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of St. Louis's last 6 games when playing at home against Arizona

8:05 PM
MINNESOTA vs. TEXAS
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Minnesota's last 5 games
Minnesota is 13-6 SU in its last 19 games when playing Texas
Texas is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Minnesota
Texas is 6-13 SU in its last 19 games when playing Minnesota

10:05 PM
COLORADO vs. SAN DIEGO
Colorado is 15-4 SU in its last 19 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Colorado's last 6 games on the road
San Diego is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Colorado
The total has gone OVER in 12 of San Diego's last 18 games when playing Colorado

10:10 PM
HOUSTON vs. LA DODGERS
Houston is 5-0 SU in their last 5 games when playing on the road against LA Dodgers
Houston is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
LA Dodgers are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games when playing Houston
LA Dodgers are 0-5 SU in their last 5 games when playing at home against Houston

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**pm530** · 07-18-2009, 07:26 AM

MLB

Saturday, July 18

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Hot lines: Today’s best MLB bets
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Seattle Mariners at Cleveland Indians

Let us take a second to introduce you to the team with the best record in one-run games in the American League: Seattle.

The Mariners have been amazing in close games this season, going 21-13 in contests decided by the slimmest of margins. The reason? The team’s pitching has been consitent all season. Seattle’s 3.72 ERA is the third-lowest in the majors and opponents are hitting just .245 against them. And when the Mariners have a late lead, you can lock it up. The team is tied for the major-league lead with 28 saves.

Cleveland, however, is just 12-12 in one-run games and has the worst pitching staff in the majors. Its 5.35 ERA is by far the poorest mark in the bigs. The Indians may have a slight edge in offense, but have a huge disadvantage in pitching and it won’t be enough as this team starts to pack it in during the dog days of summer.

Pick: Mariners

San Francisco Giants at Pittsburgh Pirates (-109, 9)

So what do you get when you combine one of the best road-pitching teams in the majors and one of the best home-pitching teams in the majors with two mediocre offenses? Very few runs.

The pitching matchup of the Giants' Barry Zito against the Pirates' Charlie Morton might scare off some bettors, but in this case the stats don’t lie.

The Giants over/under record on the road this season is 17-22-3 and the team has gone under the total in six of its past 10 away games. On the other hand, the Pirates over/under record at home is 14-24-1. The under also has hit in eight of the Bucs past 10 home games.

Zito and Morton should be just good enough to stifle the opposing lineup and keep this one below the total.

Pick: Under 9

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**pm530** · 07-18-2009, 07:27 AM

MLB

Saturday, July 18

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Streaking and Slumping Pitchers
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Streaking

Dan Haren (Arizona Diamondbacks)

Haren was even more dominant in his most recent start. If that’s possible.

The 28-year-old right-hander was nearly unhittable in his most recent outing, an 8-0 win against the Marlins in which he yielded just four hits, struck out 10 batters, walked one in the complete-game shutout. This season, Haren ranks in the Top 10 in the National League in wins, strikeouts, innings pitched, ERA, complete games and WHIP (walks + hits over innings pitched).

In nine starts since May 23, Haren (9-5, 2.01 ERA) has yielded no more than two earned runs in any outing and has lasted at least seven innings in all but one appearance.

"That sets off the fire alarms around here when he walks a guy," Arizona manager A.J. Hinch told the Associated Press.

Josh Johnson (Florida Marlins)

The 25-year-old right-hander has emerged as a legitimate Cy Young contender. Johnson (8-2, 2.74 ERA) also ranks in the Top 10 in the NL in virtually every statistical category as he has been the most consistent pitcher on the Senior Circuit this year.

Johnson has allowed more than three earned runs only once in 19 starts this year and has held opponents to two earned runs or fewer in 12 outings.

In his most recent start, Johnson allowed only one earned run on seven hits in 6 2-3 innings as he struck out seven in an 8-1 win over the Diamondbacks.

Slumping

Scott Kazmir (Tampa Bay Rays)

It’s been the unlucky sevens that Kazmir has had to worry about. After allowing seven runs in consecutive starts in May before a stint on the DL sidelined him for June, Kazmir appeared to slowly be regaining his form. He allowed just three earned runs in 10 innings in consecutive starts.

But then came the debacle on July 8 against Toronto. Kazmir was slammed for seven runs on nine hits in 6 1-3 innings as he gave up a pair of long balls.

If Kazmir can’t regain his form, the Rays have a huge hole in their rotation.

"It felt like I pitched way better than that," Kazmir, who hasn’t won since May 9, told the Associated Press. "It seems like I haven't gotten one break the whole year. I'm due."

Jason Hammel (Colorado Rockies)

Hammel’s 5-4 record and 4.43 ERA seem harmless enough. But he has been playing with fire and putting runners on base at an alarming rate.

In his past two starts, he’s allowed nine earned runs on 19 hits in just 8 2-3 innings. In his most recent outing against Atlanta, he last just three innings as he gave up five runs on nine hits.

Hammel’s 1.46 WHIP is the stat people should be looking at. The Rockies offense won’t be able to bail him out all season.

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**Udog** · 07-18-2009, 09:05 AM

MLB
Dunkel

Tampa Bay at Kansas City
The Rays look to build on their 5-1 record in Scott Kazmir's last 6 starts as a road underdog between +110 and +150. Tampa Bay is the pick (+130) according to Dunkel, which has the Rays favored by 1/2 a run. Dunkel Pick: Tampa Bay (+130). Here are all of today's picks.

SATURDAY, JULY 18

Game 901-902: NY Mets at Atlanta
Dunkel Ratings: NY Mets (Santana) 14.504; Atlanta (Kawakami) 15.192
Dunkel Line: Atlanta by 1/2; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: NY Mets (-115); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Atlanta (+105); Over

Game 903-904: San Francisco at Pittsburgh
Dunkel Ratings: San Francisco (Zito) 15.597; Pittsburgh (Morton) 14.510
Dunkel Line: San Francisco by 1; 8
Vegas Line: Pittsburgh (-120); 9
Dunkel Pick: San Francisco (+110); Under

Game 905-906: Chicago Cubs at Washington
Dunkel Ratings: Cubs (Wells) 14.597; Washington (Zimmermann) 15.106
Dunkel Line: Washington by 1/2; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Chicago Cubs (-125); 8
Dunkel Pick: Washington (+105); Over

Game 907-908: Milwaukee at Cincinnati
Dunkel Ratings: Milwaukee (Parra) 14.886; Cincinnati (Harang) 13.787
Dunkel Line: Milwaukee by 1; 9
Vegas Line: Cincinnati (-130); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Milwaukee (+120); Under

Game 909-910: Philadelphia at Florida
Dunkel Ratings: Philadelphia (Blanton) 15.370; Florida (Johnson) 16.629
Dunkel Line: Florida by 1 1/2; 7
Vegas Line: Florida (-130); 8
Dunkel Pick: Florida (-130); Under

Game 911-912: Arizona at St. Louis
Dunkel Ratings: Arizona (Haren) 14.986; St. Louis (Wainwright) 16.113
Dunkel Line: St. Louis by 1; 6 1/2
Vegas Line: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A

Game 913-914: Colorado at San Diego
Dunkel Ratings: Colorado (Hammel) 14.521; San Diego (Correia) 14.955
Dunkel Line: San Diego by 1/2; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Colorado (-115); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: San Diego (+105); Over

Game 915-916: Houston at LA Dodgers
Dunkel Ratings: Houston (Hampton) 15.442; LA Dodgers (Kershaw) 15.143
Dunkel Line: Houston by 1/2; 7
Vegas Line: LA Dodgers (-180); 8
Dunkel Pick: Houston (+160); Under

Game 917-918: Boston at Toronto
Dunkel Ratings: Boston (Penny) 15.348; Toronto (Rzepczynski) 15.851
Dunkel Line: Toronto by 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: Boston (-115); 9
Dunkel Pick: Toronto (+105); Under

Game 919-920: Detroit at NY Yankees
Dunkel Ratings: Detroit (Verlander) 15.067; NY Yankees (Sabathia) 16.634
Dunkel Line: NY Yankees by 1 1/2; 10
Vegas Line: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A

Game 921-922: Baltimore at Chicago White Sox
Dunkel Ratings: Baltimore (Bergesen) 14.860; White Sox (Buehrle) 16.099
Dunkel Line: Chicago White Sox by 1; 10
Vegas Line: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A

Game 923-924: LA Angels at Oakland
Dunkel Ratings: LA Angels (Weaver) 17.313; Oakland (Mazzaro) 16.288
Dunkel Line: LA Angels by 1; 9
Vegas Line: LA Angels (-125); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: LA Angels (-125); Over

Game 925-926: Seattle at Cleveland
Dunkel Ratings: Seattle (Washburn) 15.873; Cleveland (Ohka) 14.144
Dunkel Line: Seattle by 1 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A

Game 927-928: Tampa Bay at Kansas City
Dunkel Ratings: Tampa Bay (Kazmir) 14.750; Kansas City (Greinke) 14.012
Dunkel Line: Tampa Bay by 1/2; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Kansas City (-140); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Tampa Bay (+130); Over

Game 929-930: Minnesota at Texas
Dunkel Ratings: Minnesota (Baker) 15.071; Texas (Feldman) 14.441
Dunkel Line: Minnesota by 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: Texas (-130); 10
Dunkel Pick: Minnesota (+120); Under

Announcement

Saturday Trends and Indexes 7/18 (MLB, CFL, Misc.)

Saturday Trends and Indexes 7/18 (MLB, CFL, Misc.)

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